Press releases

BREST, 22 June (BelTA) - The new exposition called Museum of War, Territory of Peace opened at the Brest Fortress Hero Memorial on 22 June, BelTA has learned.

The ceremony was held after the commemorative meeting to honor the Nationwide Remembrance Day for the victims of the Great Patriotic War. A symbolic red ribbon was cut by Chairman of the Brest Oblast Executive Committee Konstantin Sumar, Belarus’ Culture Minister Boris Svetlov and Deputy Chairman of the Board of OAO Gazprom Vitaly Markelov.

In his welcoming address, Konstantin Sumar stated that the new exposition in the fortress was developed 43 years since the opening of the memorial and almost 60 years since the creation of the museum. "All these years the museum worked hard to preserve the memory about the valor of the fortress defenders," said the Governor. He thanked the Russian energy company and personally its Chairman Alexei Miller for lending a helping hand and for financing the project. The head of the region also expressed the hope that Gazprom will participate in other historical projects in the Brest Fortress.

The new exposition is deployed in the south-eastern barracks of the Brest fortress and spans eight halls. It occupies 1,000 square meters. The exposition features more than 2,000 items in eight halls. They are arranged in chronological order and by their names the visitors can trace the tragic fate of the defenders of the fortress: "On the eve", "Invasion", "Ordeal", "Echo of the War", "Recognition", "Legacy". According to the deputy director of the memorial Larisa Bibik, who gave the first tour of the exposition, the exposition is arranged to a classic principle of presentation. At the same time the museum makes use of the most advanced technology (interactive screens, electronic memory book), and expressive art images (sculptural forms, installations).

OAO Gazprom donated Br15 billion for the project. A special commemorative plaque informs the museum visitors about the company’s contribution to the project. Having seen the exposition, the Deputy Chairman of the Board of Gazprom, Vitaly Markelov, expressed satisfaction with the work done. “I am pleasantly surprised that such a wonderful exposition was created in such a short period of time. A lot of work has been done. Multimedia tools and the unique items found during the excavations complement each other,” said Vitaly Markelov. He noted that in general he was impressed with the memorable events that took place in the fortress.

Belarus’ Culture Minister Boris Svetlov said that the new exposition represents another step towards learning more about our not-so-distant past. He noted that over the years the museum has accumulated a lot of exhibits and lacked the exhibition space to showcase them all. The Museum of War, Territory of Peace exposition, which opening was timed to coincide with 22 June, will work for the common goal of preserving the historical memory and patriotic upbringing of younger generations.